Dead Nerds Society: What Do You Mean My Guild Was Also Isekaid?-Chapter 66: Riot in the Capital of Twilight Crowns

Siraaeniel, who had been one step behind the others, focused on the surroundings to avoid a surprise attack, finally looked at Cecilia, and broke his silence.

"Her form is still negotiating its return to stability. The metamorphosis is unfinished, and what she requires now is the kind of healing that only sleep can grant.

You, however, must not linger, Master. The resonance of those souls still binds to you alone, and they will not quiet unless you go to them."

Cecilia Answers him, without taking her eyes from Aenoth.

"You are right, Siraaeniel. Aennie, what about Ephyrael taking you to Aelindra’s house? I will share my teleport rune with you, so you can both teleport there. I have to finish this business here, then I’ll go back immediately."

Aenoth nodded, her eyes still red from crying.

"You did a good job, my girl. But I’ll pick it up from here. You don’t need to worry. It will all work out."

She looks at Ephyrael, who nods and then crouches, taking Aenoth in his arms, bridal style, in silence. Cecilia opened the UI to share the usage of the rune with Aenoth, and soon the two disappeared.

:::

Cecilia slowly got up, feeling her legs aching.

"Agh... I stood in that position for too long. My knees are complaining to me."

"I’m actually surprised that you even managed to stand up after all that. I guess those stats are not for show, uh?"

Jules’ laughter echoed, a bit out of place in that cave.

Cecilia’s face had a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She looked like a diligent priestess focused on her duties.

"We’ve solved one big problem, but it’s actually just a bit of the problem at hand. Aenoth’s soul was serving as a beacon to the stranded souls of players trying to come back, but she isn’t here anymore.

I will take her place. Marya, I will need your help with the ritual. Mina, I need you to bring some stuff from the base. Jules and Siraaeniel, I’m counting on you to keep Marya and me safe. I expect some monsters, especially undead, to be attracted to this place."

"Understood, Master."

"Yes, Sensei."

"I’ll be pleased to serve, Master."

"You can count on me, Cecilia."

Her tone snapped everyone into focus. The emotional, intimate atmosphere of a few moments earlier was gone. In its place, Cecilia installed the mood of a holy sanctuary.

:::

Far away, in the Obsidian Keep...

"Your Majesty. A report just came in. There is an undead army marching towards the capital."

Aelindra was eating lunch in the same dining room where she reunited with Cecilia when an officer entered the room, breathless and with a red face. She looked like she had just run up the stairs to the tower.

Aelindra dropped the fork she was eating with food and all. Gladly, she didn’t have any food inside her mouth at the time. Otherwise, she would have choked on it.

"What? An undead army?"

The officer was holding herself with her hand on her knees as she gasped for air.

"Y-yes. From all directions. They seem to have just spawned in the surroundings. We have no news from the other cities, though."

Aelindra stood up, completely forgetting about the lunch.

"How far are they?"

"Two hours away, according to the scouts."

"Good. Sit and rest. I’ll be heading to the Eclipse Hall."

The tower was great to see everything in the capital, but that wasn’t what she needed right now. She needed to be in a place where she could receive reports and give orders quickly.

The maid who was serving her stepped in, though.

"Your Majesty. You shouldn’t skip lunch. Can’t fight a war on an empty stomach."

Aelindra looked at her and sighed.

"You are right. Sorry for asking you this, but can you bring my lunch downstairs? I’ll eat there."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

:::

The Eclipse Hall had now a different bustle from usual. Instead of petitioners and attendants, there were officers running around with reports and orders.

Some extra tables were placed in it, including a big one with a miniature model of the city and surroundings.

At a table in the center of the room, Aelindra was eating while she heard the reports.

"Any idea on what caused them to spawn?"

"No. There weren’t any noticeable mana accumulations in the region in the last years. And the cleaning has always been thorough. Even if some bodies escaped detection, it wouldn’t be that many..."

"How many are we talking about?"

"There’s not a conclusive figure, but we’re talking about at least eighty thousand."

This time, the queen choked.

After a few coughs, she was able to talk again.

"So you weren’t kidding when you said it’s an army. It’s four times the army stationed here in Drakenhof. But you’re right, there wouldn’t be enough bodies to raise such an army in the capital’s outskirts."

Undeads were literally raised from the corpses of the dead. That’s the main reason dead people were cremated and not buried.

And for that same reason, the army’s scouts regularly scoured the countryside to get rid of any bodies that could be lingering around.

At that moment, a knight entered the room.

"Your Majesty! I have a message from your home. Siraaeniel has just returned. He asked me to take you this note."

With a composed smile and word of thanks, Aelindra took the message, then opened it and read it.

After a few moments, she raised her eyes from the paper, her hand trembling slightly.

"I see... Maybe that’s the reason. Mother might have provoked Muvetheret. He has been silent since the Age of Players..."

Muvetheret was the god of Undeath, a figure created by the devs as an arch-antagonist, often creating plots to destabilize the world. Like all the other gods, it disappeared when the servers closed.

But if players returned, why wouldn’t the gods return? At least that was what was in Aelindra’s mind, as well as a good part of the common people’s.

"Gods... Bad news as always."

She opened her system UI and opened the chat.

[Mother. What exactly did you do with Aenoth?]

It took a bit long for her mother’s answer to come. Enough for her to have a bad feeling in her stomach. But then, the answer finally came.

[I don’t really know, to be honest. But, somehow, I managed to undo her undeath. Why? Did something happen?]

Aelindra let out a sigh of relief, then answered.

[An eighty-thousand-strong army of undead just spawned in the outskirts of the capital. I think they might be after her.]

A short message came quickly, followed by a longer one.

[WHAT???]

[Understood. I am about to begin a long and dangerous ritual here, and I’m time-pressed. How’s Ephemerys’ church? Are they strong enough to help? I guess they should be willing, at least.]

Cecilia was at that moment regretting not having gotten in contact with the church after she came back.

She wanted to go right away to the capital, but if she did, she would lose the window of opportunity that Aenoth opened by gathering the stranded players in the area of the old sanctuary.

[They will be willing, I believe. But I have doubts about their actual capabilities.]

[I will send Mina over with some artifacts. If you have trustworthy priests, you can lend to them for use in the defense. I’m sorry, I really can’t go personally right now. I have to deal with the players here first. Mina will be arriving soon.]